US President Donald Trump has stated the “prayers of millions have finally been answered” after a Gaza peace deal was signed at a worldwide summit in Egypt.
Talking from a podium in Sharm el-Sheikh, the place different world leaders met to carry discussions on Gaza’s future, Mr Trump stated: “With the historic agreement we’ve just signed, those prayers of millions have finally been answered.”
He added: “We’ve achieved what everybody said was impossible, at long last, we have peace in the Middle East.”
Mr Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had earlier signed a doc the US president stated would lay the groundwork for Gaza’s future.
Nonetheless, a replica was not made public.
Mr Trump flew to Sharm el-Sheikh from Jerusalem, the place he obtained a rapturous welcome and at the least 22 standing ovations as he addressed Israel’s Knesset (parliament) – however was additionally heckled by some members.
The US president, who was hailed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel’s “greatest friend”, stated “after so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent and the sirens are still”.
He added: “It’s the start of a grand concord and lasting harmony for Israel and all the nations of what will soon be a truly magnificent region.”
It comes after Israel and Hamas final week agreed to the primary section of a long-sought ceasefire deal aimed toward bringing the devastating struggle in Gaza to an finish after two years of bloodshed.
Israel’s struggle in Gaza, launched following the killing of 1,200 individuals and seize of 251 extra by Hamas throughout its assaults on 7 October 2023, noticed greater than 67,000 Gazans killed, in response to Palestinian well being officers.
Its figures don’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but it surely says round half of these killed have been ladies and youngsters.
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On Monday, Hamas freed all 20 residing hostages, however solely launched the our bodies of 4 lifeless hostages.
As a part of Mr Trump’s peace deal, Hamas was given 72 hours (till 10am on Monday) to return the 48 hostages left in Gaza – 20 of whom have been identified to be alive and 28 who’ve died.
Hamas beforehand indicated that recovering the our bodies of some lifeless hostages could take longer, as not all burial websites are identified.
The Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board condemned Hamas’s actions, calling it “a blatant breach of the agreement”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer attended the ceremony in Sharm el-Sheikh alongside different world leaders, together with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and France’s Emmanuel Macron.
He stated the UK might play a key position in monitoring the ceasefire.
Sir Keir stated: “What happens tomorrow really matters, and that’s why, what I’ve been discussing with leaders all day is, what part can we play?
“And we, the UK particularly, I feel, can play a component in monitoring the ceasefire, but additionally decommissioning the aptitude of Hamas and their weaponry drawing on our expertise in Northern Eire.
“So the question today has already moved to, how do we implement how do we make sure this moves forward? It’s really important we keep that focus. We mustn’t have any missteps now.”
